


Are You Alright? (With You, One Day I Will Be)

by nerdyydragon



Series: Kingsman Tumblr Ficlets [53]
Category: Kingsman (2014), Kingsman (2015), Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Closeted Character, Discussions of sexuality, Gen, Gentleman Harry Hart, M/M, Original Character(s), ambiguous romantic ending, closeted eggsy, one-sided Harry Hart/Eggsy Unwin, poor Eggsy just doesn't understand how he's feeling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 18:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8678083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdyydragon/pseuds/nerdyydragon
Summary: Merlin had asked (see: demanded) Eggsy help him train the newest batch of recruits. It doesn't exactly go as planned, since the candidates are all exactly as he'd expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer*

Eggsy flopped down onto the sofa in Harry’s living room and groaned pitifully, just awake enough to remove his jacket and shoes but beyond that had lost nearly all higher brain function. Harry gave him a disapproving look before moving him enough to inhabit the same space and carding his fingers through Eggsy’s hair, flipping on an old film - the irony of it being My Fair Lady not lost on him, nor would it be in Eggsy had he been coherent enough to notice - and turning it on low volume for background noise.

“What’s happened?” He set aside his own list of things that had worn him down throughout the week in favor of letting Eggsy voice his concerns. The young man was rarely this vulnerable, and it hurt him to see Eggsy so worn down.

“It’s the bloody fucking recruits.” His voice was muffled and muted from where it came from in between his face and the leather. “No fucking respect whatsoever.” Harry sighed; this batch had proven particularly difficult, and Eggsy - much to the man’s dismay - had been charged with helping Merlin run their training.

“Are they openly disrespectful to you? Because if they are, then you can always give them a thorough lashing for it. God knows they need one.” Eggsy’s head rocked slightly under Harry’s hand, indicating his negative. He twisted so that he was in a more comfortable position, laying on his side facing the television, the side of his face red from being pressed into sofa.

“That’s the thing though, innit? They’re not obvious about it. It’s just….” he chewed on his lip for a moment. “It’s the little things, yeah? They won’t give serious thought to any information I give them unless Merlin’s there. Not all of ‘em, but a good few.” He was quiet, the only sound in the room was the quiet of the film that played on unnoticed. Neither man knew quite what to say. “I’m just so tired of it.” Harry nodded, understanding where he was coming from, even if the other man couldn’t see it.

“If it’s causing you undue stress, darling, then you can always talk to Merlin about it. He wouldn’t blame you; training recruits is a difficult job.”

“I can’t just give up.” Harry smiled softly and waited for him to continue, he was sure there was more. “It’s not about letting Merlin down or anything, it’s not even about proving myself to the other agents who look down on me because I’m not like…. because I’m not like the rest of you.” Eggsy finished in hardly more than a whisper. “At this point it’s personal.” Harry nodded again continued running his fingers through Eggsy’s hair.

“Then you do what you do best.” Eggsy tilted his face to look up at him, one eyebrow raised. “You give them hell, and show them that despite how close you may be to their age you are still their commanding officer and you should be respected because of that. You’ve done so much, Eggsy, far more than they will ever know, and you deserve to be treated as such.” Pink tinged Eggsy’s cheeks, even after all the time they spent together after Harry’s return from Kentucky post-V-Day he still wasn’t used to the casual, earnest praise he received.

“That’s all well and good, Harry, but I still don’t understand  _ why _ .” His eyes jumped around the room, focusing absently on a framed butterfly before skipping to study the crown molding near the ceiling and then across the the liquor cabinet before finally turning his eyes to the floor. “Harry?” His seat-mate made a noncommittal noise. “Do I project?”

The question was quiet, uncertain; clearly something that the young man had never discussed, at least not with Harry.

“What do you mean?” Eggsy took a deep breath. Harry didn’t have a recruit in the pool this time, so he was safe to discuss the story without risking a show of favoritism. As powerful as Arthur may be, when they were like this, he was Harry,  _ just _ Harry.

“Well I heard them… a couple of them, at least, Bors’ recruit, I think, laughing about…. laughing at Alex, you know, Roxy’s recruit? During their NLP classes, because he’s… well, he’s not….” He swallowed thickly, gathering himself before continuing on. “The syllabus wasn’t very inclusive, now was it? And he was clearly uncomfortable, so he had asked me privately if we could work on things together during practical stuff because he didn’t feel comfortable acting that way towards… women. And I want them all to do as well as they can, whether I like them or not, 'cause it’s my fucking job, so I said yes.”

“Ah.” Harry looked down at the man next to him, who had in the meantime curled into himself as tightly as he could on the available space. “And you’re worried that they might see you the same way, which is why they don’t respect you?” He nodded. “If you think - even if they simply have assumptions, founded or not - that their view of you is what they feel gives them enough grey space to get away with not respecting your authority, you  _ have to _ talk to Merlin about it.” Eggsy nodded again, silently resolved to do so should it happen again.

“Harry, would it, would it matter? To you? If I was.” Harry removed his hand from Eggsy’s hair to gently uncurl the man’s fist where he had locked up on the couch, and carefully threaded their fingers together.

“Not at all, darling.” From where his wrist brushed softly against Eggsy’s cheek, Harry could feel hot tears stain his skin. He didn’t say a word about it, just gave the man’s hand a squeeze before softening his grip slightly and turning his attention to the film playing.

It would be terribly hypocritical of him, to judge someone he held so dear for something so important to identity. It was clearly a tough subject, one likely scarred by years of living under his step-father’s tyranny and abuse, but when he was ready, Harry would listen. But until then, he was willing to be the shoulder Eggsy so desperately needed.


End file.
